Culture Spotting: Big Gulps and their Evasion of Both the Law and Chicness

As everyone knows, Mayor Bloomberg has proposed a ban on the sale of large sugary drinks in New York City. I love this because I’m a proponent of any effort aimed at increasing the attractiveness of a population. Manhattan’s population is already so close to being prettier than any other, so taking away huge cups of liquid sugar is a step in the right direction. The infamous 7-Eleven Big Gulp, however, somehow became an exception to the Bloomberg rule.

This is so unfortunate for several grave reasons. 1. Big Gulps exist. I hate the word “gulp,” and there are four versions of it at 7-Eleven: Gulps, Big Gulps, Super Big Gulps, and Double Gulps. Ew. I don’t think I can even type the G-word again. 2. A Double Gulp of Coca-Cola has 600 calories. That’s, like, an entire day’s calorie intake for my chic roommate. 3. The fact that Big Gulps are one of 7-Eleven’s best sellers. People just shouldn’t buy them, and then they wouldn’t be obese. It’s as simple as that. Everyone just needs to take a hint from all the homeless people lining the streets of Midtown. Homeless people have great bodies, and how do you think they get them? By not buying Big Gulps. 4. The fact that their packaging pairs the colors orange and green a.k.a. the antithesis of chic and a heinously colored pathway to a burgeoning obesity epidemic in NYC.

Emily is a New Yorker trapped in a Floridian's body and loves every minute of her big city life. With a major in international business and years of being surrounded by ill-fitting suits and all the wrong shoes, she learned that the importance of fashion needs to be communicated to the world. To her, fashion is on the same level as charity work and feeding hungry children. Emily can be found frolicking the streets of her gayborhood enjoying the off-color humor of the gays.